Salmond studied economics at the University of St. Andrews and joined the civil service as an assistant economist (1978–80) for the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland before working as an economist (1980–87) for the Royal Bank of Scotland. From an early age he gained a reputation as something of a rebel. He joined the pro-Scottish independence Scottish National Party (SNP) as a student and was a prominent member of the 79 Group, a ... (100 of 1,075 words)